Thread cleaner



June 12, 1956 P. A. TANNER ETAL THREAD CLEANER Filed Oct. 14, 1953 7EN TORS.

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PA UL A RTHUE United States Patent rice THREAD CLEANER Paul Arthur Tanner and Walter Gegenschatz, Uster,

Switzerland, assignors to Zellweger A. G. Apparateund Maschinenfabriken Uster, Uster, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Application October 14, 1953, Serial No. 386,089

Claims priority, application Switzerland October 18, 1952 8 Claims. (Cl. 2871) The present invention relates to a thread cleaner for use in connection with spooling machines and the like.

The cleaning effect of most conventional thread cleaners is obtained by passing the thread through one or more slots which are at a right angle or are inclined to the direction of movement of the thread and which have parallel or converging edges. The width of the slot is adjustable so that threads of different diameters can be cleaned.

Since the wiped off foreign matter is partly retained in the slot of the cleaner itmust be removed once in a while. For this purpose the elements which make up the slot are separated for making the edges of the slot accessible. Mechanisms are known in which the elements making up the slot are pulled together by means of a spring and are held by an abutment in a position producing the desired width of the slot. has the disadvantage that enlarged portions of the thread open the slot and pass through the thread cleaner and are not retained in the slot until the thread breaks. The spring closing the slot of the thread cleaner must not be too strong, because the cleaner must be adapted to be opened by hand.

The object of the present invention resides in the provision of a thread cleaner in which the threads are passed through at least one slot which is formed by the edges of a plurality of members which edges canbe made accessible by swinging the members apart, after locking means, which prevent swinging apart of the members, have been unlatched.

The novel features which are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in'the appended claims. The invention itself however and additional objects and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following description of embodiments thereof when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a thread cleaner according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a modified thread cleaner according to the invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective diagrammatic illustration of a third modification of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective illustration of a portion of the device according to Fig. 3.

The thread cleaner shown in Fig. 1 comprises a base plate 1 to which a stationary knife 3 is adjustably connected by means of two clamp screws 2. A movable knife 5 is swingable on a pin 4 which is fast on the base plate, a cotter pin 6 preventing movement of the knife 5 axially of pin 4. A tension spring 7, whose ends are individually hooked into eyes 8 and 9 in the knife 5 and in the base plate 1, respectively, tends to swing the knife 5 in clockwise direction. This movement is prevented by a latch 10, which is swingable on a pin 11 fast on the base plate 1 and which is pulled counterclockwise by a tension spring 12 against an abutment 13 on the base plate 1. A nose 14 at the right end of knife 5 rests on a shoulder of the latch 10, preventing movement of the knife 5.

This arrangement For cleaning the thread cleaner, the latch 10 is turned clockwise until the shoulder 10' is withdrawn from the knife 5. Thereupon the spring 7 causes the knife 5 to snap into the position 5' shown in dotted lines in which it is held by an abutment 15 on the base plate 1. In this position the knives can easily be cleaned. To return the knife to operative position it is turned counterclockwise until its nose 14 comes to rest on the shoulder 10 of the latch 10.

The width of the slot formed by the knives 3 and 5 can be adjusted by shifting the knife 3, elongated holes 2' for the clamp screws 2 being provided for this purpose. Conventional gauges may be used for determining the width of the slot.

The modification shown in Fig. 2 facilitates adjustment of the width of the slot. The thread cleaner according to Fig. 2 consists of a knife provided with, pins 23 and 24, by which levers 21 and 22, respectively, are swingably supported. These levers guide pins 25 and 26, respectively, fast on a knife 27, so that the edge of the latter must move parallel to itself. The edges of knives 20 and 27, which form the slot, may be parallel or form an angle. A tension spring 28, one end of which is hooked into an eye 29 of the lever 22 and the other end of which is hooked into an eye 30 of a lever 31 which is swingably connected with the knife 29, tends to turn the levers 21 and 22 in counterclockwise direction and to open the slot, simultaneously pressing the lever 31 against an abutment 32 on the knife 20. A latch member 34 is screwed into lever 31 and secured by a nut 33, the latch member 34 having a shoulder 34', against which rests a nose 35 at the right end of knife 27, preventing opening of the slot formed by the edges of the knives 20 and 27.

When turning latch 34 clockwise, it clears the nose 35 of knife 27 so that the latter snaps into the position 27 shown in dotted lines, an abutment 36 on knife 20 limiting the movement of the lever 21 and holding it in the position 21'.

The width of the slot can be adjusted by turning the latch member 34 relatively to the lever 31. The distance betweenthe shoulder 34' and the lever 31 is fixed by tightening the nut..33. A scale 34" may be provided on the latch member, indicating the width of the slot at different. positions of the latch member relative to the lever 31, a suitable mark beingprovided for this purpose on the upper side of the knife 27.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a third modification of a thread cleaner or slub catcher according to the invention. The slot through which the thread 40 is passed is formed by two knives 41 and 42 which are rigidly connected with members 43 and 44, respectively. The latter are individually swingably supported on a shaft 45. A torsion spring 46, one end of which is connected with member 43 and the other end of which is connected with member 44, tends to swing the members relatively to one another to open the slot formed by the knives 41 and 42. A plate spring 48 is made fast on member 43 by means of an angle iron 47. The spring 48 has a rectangular aperture 49 receiving a collar 52 of a threaded bolt 50 which is screwed into member 44. The upper end of bolt 50 is shaped to be inserted into a special key 51 which can be turned until it reaches an abutment 54. The shoulder 53 of the collar 52 which is inserted in the aperture 49 when the device is in operating condition prevents snapping apart of the knives 41 and 42 by the action of spring 46.

The width of the slot formed by the knives 41 and 42 can be adjusted by rotating the bolt 50.

Since the plate spring 48 is very stiff in the direction of the bolt 50, the slot formed by the knives 41 and 42 cannot be opened by enlargements of the thread, causing breaking of the thread, which is desired. Spring 46 as- P atented June 12 .1956

sures that the slot retains the width which is determined by the position of bolt 50.

For cleaning the device, pressure is applied to the plate spring 48 in the direction of the arrow 48' for releasing the collar 52 so that the members 43 and 44 are swung in opposite direction by the spring 46 and the knives 41 and 42 are spread widely apart afiording convenient cleaning of the device.

While specific embodiments of the invention are shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, additions and omissions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as set forth in the appended claims,

What is claimed is:

1. A thread cleaner in which the threads to be cleaned are passed through at least one slot, comprising a pair of elements swingable relatively to each other and individually having edges forming the slot, and locking means mounted on one of said elements and being swingable relatively thereto and being adapted to engage the other element for preventing winging apart of said elements and afiording instant swinging apart of said elements when said locking means is swung out of engagement with the other element.

2. A thread cleaner as defined in claim 1, said locking means including adjustment means for adjusting the width of the slot formed by said elements.

3. A thread cleaner as defined in claim 1, comprising a spring interposed between said elements for instantaneously and widely swinging said members apart to widely open the slot formed by the edges of said elements upon release of said locking means.

4. A thread cleaner in which the threads to be cleaned are passed through at least one slot, comprising a base, a first member adjustably connected with said base, a second member swingably connected with said base, said members having edges forming the slot, and locking means swingably connected with said base and adapted to engage said second member for preventing swinging thereof and maintaining said second member in a position to form a slot of predetermined width with said first member.

5. A thread cleaner as defined in claim 4, comprising a spring connected with said second member and with said base for swinging said second member to open the slot upon release of said locking means.

6. A thread cleaner in which the threads to be cleaned are passed through at least one slot, comprising a first member, a second member, each member having an edge, said edges forming the slot, two links individually pivoted to said first and to said second member and forming a parallelogram with said members, locking means swingably connected with said first member and being adapted to engage said second member, and a spring interconnecting one of said links and said locking means to open the slot formed by the edges of said members upon re lease of said locking means.

7. A thread cleaner in which the threads to be cleaned are passed through at least one slot, comprising two members individually having edges forming the slot, said members being swingably connected to each other for changing the width of the slot, a spring connected to said members and tending to swing said members in a direction to open said slot, and adjusting means connected with one of said members and engaging the other member for adjusting the width of the slot, said adjusting means including locking means for preventing relative swinging of said members when said locking means are in locking position and affording instant swinging apart of said members when said locking means are released.

8. A thread cleaner in which the thread to be cleaned is passed through a slot, comprising a first element, a second element pivoted to said first element, each element including a plate member having an edge, said edges forming the slot, a spring interposed between said elements and tending to swing said elements apart for opening the slot, a longitudinal plate spring having an end mounted on said first element in parallel relation to the plate member of the first element, an adjusting screw crewed into said second element, said screw having a free end, a collar provided on said free end, said plate spring having an aperture receiving said collar when the plate spring is in normal position for preventing swinging apart of said elements and releasing said collar when said plate spring is pressed out of its normal position for releasing said first member from said second member for instantaneously opening the slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 543,288 Boyd July 23, 1895 563,755 Easton July 14, 1896 1,853,930 Ripley Apr. 12, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 515,657 Germany Jan. 10, 1931 

